Court: Sweden failed girl filmed by stepfather

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Europe's top human rights court has ruled that Sweden's legal system failed to protect a girl who was secretly filmed nude by her stepfather.

The girl was 14 in 2002, when she learned that her stepfather had hidden a camera in order to film her while she was undressing. According to Tuesday's decision by the European Court of Human Rights, the girl's mother destroyed the footage before anyone saw it.

The stepfather was acquitted of sexual molestation charges in 2007 after a Swedish court ruled that there was no law against covert filming. The girl appealed to the European court, arguing that Sweden was obligated to provide legal remedies against her stepfather. The country has since adopted a new law designed to fill the gaps outlined in the case.